A simple fruit crisp recipe for two! This Skillet Blueberry Crisp is gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free. Get out that cast iron and make a healthy, easy treat when you need something sweet and comforting!

Finally! A fruit crisp! I kept telling myself I would make one for the past few years and I finally did. They always sounded so cozy and delicious; sweet fruity simplicity, but they always evaded me for some unknown reason. Who could say no to fruit with a crisp/crumble topping all hot, warm, and gooey from the oven? Not sure, but obviously I had some mental resistance to it!

It’s okay though, we’ve remedied that! I think the reason why I never got around to making a fruit crisp earlier was because I only just got my baby cast iron this past Christmas. Can you really dare make a fruit crisp in something other than a cast iron? You’d be missing out on half the magic and comfort! Anything in the skillet is cozy and rustic; make this in a plain old baking dish and you’ll cry…possibly.

If you’re like me, you’re probably also wondering what the difference is between a crisp, crumble, and cobbler. A crisp is fruit baking with a crisp topping of flour/granola (oats)/ and sugar. A crumble is the same, but with a doughier/clumpier/softer topping. A cobbler has a biscuit/dumpling type crust that looks like “cobble stones”. The easiest to make? I say a crisp!

I make this blueberry crisp even easier for you and used pre-made granola! You can use my homemade blueberry flax granola or KIND blueberry flax granola for a nut-free version (mine 2 tablespoons of crumbled cashews in it which can easily be left out!) You could top it with any granola you have on hand, that goes with the blueberry! If you tell me you don’t have granola at home either…you’re going to make me cry again! I’m granola girl, remember?

Another fun thing about this blueberry crisp? Fully (not optional) to add a little scoop of some vegan ice cream! That’s a given right? Warm ooey gooey fruitiness with a crunchy topping and cold vanilla ice cream that just melts into all the goodness? YES, please! If you skip the ice cream you could have this for breakfast, if you top it with ice cream, well, I think you’re forced to call it dessert 😉 So grab your gluten-free, vegan, food allergy best buddy and dig in!

A simple fruit crisp recipe for two! This Skillet Blueberry Crisp is gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free. Get out that cast iron and make a healthy, easy treat when you need something sweet and comforting!

Bake for 15 minutes and serve with vegan vanilla ice cream if desired.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1

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Maybe it’s just me, but nothing says, “I love you” more than sharing a warm and cozy blueberry crisp with someone! It’s the perfect recipe to serve up on one of these last dwindling care-free days of summer! Not only should you make this blueberry crisp, but perhaps a summer peach crisp, cherry, raspberry, blackberry…you get the picture! No time like the present than to order that baby cast iron either…it’s essential!

A healthy, big, fluffy, muffin recipe bursting with fresh blueberries! Gluten-Free Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins that are vegan and allergy-free too! A loved bakeshop classic, now enjoyable for all at breakfast or brunch, with a cup of coffee or tea!

Muffins! I’m all about some fun and creative springtime muffins, but there’s something about those classic varieties that never gets old. Blueberry muffins were my absolute favorite growing up, even over chocolate chip! A fruity pop of fresh sweetness always seems like a good call for any delicious breakfast confection. Who would pass up a blueberry muffin? That’s like turning down a hug from your grandmother.

Really though, those big fluffy blueberry muffins always got me. Typically just the “add water” kind my mom made or those calorie bombs they sell at Dunkin’ Donuts. Those were the best! So massive and overflowing their muffin liner. I also had a strong affinity for their chocolate chip muffins with the big crystals of sugar on top or the seasonal pumpkin muffins. So good! So missed!

I’m a Dunkin’ Donuts girl (sorry Starbucks, but you hurt my stomach too much!), and every time I get my XL black coffee, those muffins are so enticing! Gluten dreams! Yea, Dunkin’ Donuts blueberry muffins inspired these “big fluffy bakery-style” muffins. The most “non-bakery” you can get, but hey, we live in America 😉 Since this is Strength and Sunshine though, the only muffins (bakery-style or Dunkin’-style) we will be baking are healthy, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free. I.e. no calorie bombs here!

But, hey! I’ll take my XL DD and a homemade muffin any day 😉 I know you will too! Nothing beat a fresh baked, bakery-style blueberry muffin in all its fluffy gluten-free and vegan glory! Those pops of delicious blueberry sweetness with the delicate crumb of a perfect muffin? Heaven on Earth!

A healthy, big, fluffy, muffin recipe bursting with fresh blueberries! Gluten-Free Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins that are vegan and allergy-free too! A loved bakeshop classic, now enjoyable for all at breakfast or brunch, with a cup of coffee or tea!

That little “toss the blueberries with some flour” trick keeps the blueberries from sinking to the bottom and leaving you with subpar blueberry “bottom” muffins and not “evenly dispersed” perfect gluten-free bakery-style blueberry muffins! So grab some coffee (home brewed or DD) or a mug of tea and get baking some delicious blueberry muffins!

All the colors and lush flavors of summer in a delightful, gluten-free, & vegan Rainbow Buckwheat Salad. Crisp veggies, sweet blueberries, and fragrant spices like cardamom pull this cold side dish recipe together.

Let’s throw it back to late last summer when I made this little buckwheat salad! Thankfully we still have some summertime left! The summer season doesn’t officially end until mid-September anyway (people tend to forget that!) Summer days can seem so long and blissful looking back, yet in the moment they sometimes seem to be running away from us. But some days can seem SO long and I have done so much, yet there are the other days where I’m getting ready to go to bed and realize I didn’t do a thing.

That’s not always bad, to end up doing nothing, but I usually like to have some sense of accomplishment in at least a few things of importance. This summer has mostly been filled with random “adventures” as I like to call them. Just driving around to the various “semi-easy to get to” places around my home “area” and enjoying it all like I never have before. I’ve mentioned before that I hate driving, but it’s grown on me so much this summer. I love just getting in the car now and driving. It feels like an escape and allows for tons of thinking and introspection.

The other thing I’ve been doing, is of course, cooking and baking. The amount of recipes that have been produced leads me to seriously contemplate a cookbook/ebook. The actual process of doing that, though, seems rather daunting. It’s hard to do all this by yourself; I wish I had a mini team to help me along. If something like that is meant to be, then it will eventually happen in due time. If you could tell, by this recipe, you know I’m still slowly on putting up all those old (super old) recipes I have. Even though I really want to share the new things, I don’t want these to be forgotten in the endless folders on my laptop. They deserve their day to shine!

So in the spirit of an endless summer and old beautiful recipes, I’m sharing this Rainbow Buckwheat Salad today. It’s super light with crunch, pops of sweet, hits of fresh and fragrant flavor. I’ve loaded in carrots, radishes, fresh mint and basil, endive, blueberries, and some vinegar and warming spices to bring it all together. If you’re still never had fresh, whole cooked buckwheat, this is the simple side dish to try! Buckwheat has so much flavor on its own, so pairing it with other things can be a bit tricky, but I think you’ll find this salad rather pleasant!

I hope you enjoy this Rainbow Buckwheat Salad on your long summer days and relish every moment we have left of the season. Rest, recharge, nourish, go on random adventures in your hometown, cook and bake daily. No matter who you are, the summer is a time of rejuvenation, not just “out-of-school” kids! Take a long walk when you come home from work. Wake up with the sun. Breathe!

So tell me:

+ What have your typical summer days looked like?

+ Do you like driving? If other people knew HOW to drive and if I had AC and a horn in the car…well…it would be more enjoyable!

There is something magic about banana breads. Even if you just add the smallest amount of mashed banana to a sweet quick bread, the results are just superb. No one will know it’s gluten-free and vegan. The bread is “risen”, fluffy, moist, durable, thick, delicious, perfect….um…it’s everything you’d want (without any of the scary things)!

Actually, confession, this bread only has 1/3 cup of banana in it. I may have to give the credit to the coconut yogurt in here! Let us not forget the beautiful bursts of blueberries studded throughout either, even if they don’t do their share of “structural and texture” work here. We still love them…those lazy blueberries!

It’s been awhile since I looked at this recipe and I had thought there was more banana, but when I went to edit and write this up over the weekend, I noticed banana wasn’t too predominant. Regardless, I think the combination of the 4 standout ingredients I used are what make this bread so wonderful. The quadruplet is: Banana, Blueberry, Coconut Yogurt, and Quinoa flour!

Can i get a high-five for delicious healthy quick bread ingredients? **High-Five** I know you all were drawn in for those bursting blubs, weren’t you? It is blueberry season and they are in abundance everywhere you look! Every grocery I go too has containers and containers from large to small that are on sale and with the most plump, sweet, and firm blueberries.

Good thing you can do a lot with blueberries and they are so freezer-friendly! We have them up the wahzoo! I wish I could say that abundance was the bounty of some handpicked blueberries, by yours truly. Sadly, I’ve only ever been strawberry picking, not blueberry. Although, blueberry picking seems extremely tedious. Blueberries are so…tiny! I feel like, to get a good sized basket full, you’d be there for hours and hours!

Maybe if you had a good friend with you, the sun was shining (although, not too hot out), some good conversation going, laughs, some water, an extra basket for blueberries to snack on (you know, for picking fuel), it may not be so bad! Or…I may just be okay with a machine out combing the blueberry bushes and then being sold at the store instead. You know, the reward, sweet reward, without all the hassle 😉

Toss the blueberries with a few dashes of your gluten-free all-purpose flour to keep them from sinking while baking, then add them to the batter and mix again.

Pour the batter evenly into a greased 8x4 Loaf pan, smoothing out the top of the batter.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving. This bread also freezing and reheats well. Slice before freezing and reheat in the microwave as needed.

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Are you feeling the baking bug? Or shall I say, the BLUEBERRY baking bug? I hope so since this bread is delicious and so moist and so perfectly but subtly sweet. This is a quick bread for the ages. Packed with some quinoa protein too, this blueberry yogurt banana bread makes a perfect breakfast, snack, or maybe a healthy dessert! Naturally sweet, delicious, and so easy to whip together! Now, if only blueberry picking was this easy!

So tell me:

+ Have you ever been blueberry picking? Is it as tedious as it seems?

+ What’s the most abundant fruit(s) in your area? Blueberries, strawberries, and cherries are killing it this year (always on sale too!)

Turn your pancakes into an even more loving gesture with some gluten-free vegan Blueberry Heartcakes! A wonderful healthy breakfast recipe that will make your heart happy and healthy too!

***This post has been updated in June 2016. Original writing stands***

Did you know that February is heart health month? Isn’t that ironic that Valentine’s Day also falls in the month 😉 Even though February is more than half way over, I thought I would share some heart health tips with you all this Power Monday. Your heart is the power house of the body and it is so important to keep your ticker happy and healthy!

Here are some heart health facts and tips:

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of men and women in the United States and costs over $300 billion every year to the US.

I think diet plays one of the most important and key roles in any aspect of health and as long as you eat a minimally processed whole foods diet (that means whole grains, lean protein, veggies, and fruits) you should be good to go! Remember to watch you trans and saturated fat, processed sugar and sodium intake. But sadly a majority of Americans lack that essential knowledge and struggle to eat in a healthy way. I put together a chart of some easy and delicious foods that are widely available and perfect for a heart healthy diet!

To get you started with a delicious heart healthy recipe, here are some Blueberry Heartcakes (i.e. pancakes) to make for breakfast!

Blueberries are full of Beta-carotene and lutein (carotenoids); anthocyanin (a flavonoid); ellagic acid (a polyphenol); vitamin C; folate; calcium, magnesium; potassium, and fiber! Crazy what can be packed in a little berry, right? Plus, these pancakes are heart-shaped, so that just speaks for itself!

There is so much “heart” in this recipe. I think the act of making pancakes just screams love and heartfelt comfort. Whether you’re making them for yourself or someone else, there’s going to be a lot of heart in this breakfast! Good for the soul and your physical heart, you’ll be berry much in love!

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, then add the water, vanilla, and blueberries.

Mix until you have a nice smooth batter and let it sit while you heat up a non-stick pan.

Heat a greased skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat.

Grease your heart molds with oil as well (if you don't have one, just make regular pancakes.)

Place the mold in the center of the pan and then pour in about ⅓ of the batter to the mold.

Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges seem dry, about 2 minutes. Lift the mold off (you may need to push the edges a bit with a knife) and flip with a spatula to cook the other side, about another 2 minutes.

Repeat for the rest of the batter. Then top with more blueberries and maple syrup if desired!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1

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If you don’t already, I hope you start making some heart healthy choices! Simple swaps in your diet are so easy. Brown rice instead of white. Snack on almonds instead of potato chips. Bake some salmon instead of beef! Or, you know, these HEARTCAKES! Easy and delicious!

So tell me:

+ What is your favorite heart healthy food?

+ Do you have a family history of CVD? How do you make sure you stay on top of it?

Hey friends! I’m Rebecca a healthy gluten-free & allergy-friendly food blogger, Celiac advocate, yogi, and college student! I have a strong passion for finding the beauty and happiness in life no matter what hurdles it throws at you. To me happiness is sunshine, stepping onto my yellow yoga mat, waking up at 4 am, mugs of hot tea or black coffee, and of course cooking up delicious, nutritious food!